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The aioli in this picture didn’t come out very pretty, as we were hungry and wanted to dig in!

The smoked paprika and red pepper aioli I glommed on was delicious and served as the dressing for the greens as well.

Preheat oven to 375. Cut your head of Cauliflower in thick slices, some small pieces will break off on each side. Whisk a couple eggs with a tablespoon of olive oil. In a separate bowl:

Almond flour

Garlic powder

Paprika

Salt and pepper

Dip the slices of cauliflower in the egg mix, thouroghly coat. Then in the flour mix. Toss the small bits last and place on parchment on a cookie sheet. About 35 minutes. You want some good browning and I like the tip with a little char.

Jerusalem Artichokes are a vegetable I just seemed to forget about for a while. Years ago in my food co-op days they were all the rage for everything from juicing to roasting like potatoes. I saw some in the store and went for it, as I had also just read an article about how great they are for your gut microbiome. The possibilities for slaw are endless and raw and that’s why I tend to slaw everything .
For today’s :
2 Jerusalem Artichoke (slightly pealed)
3 Carrots
Juice of 1 lime
A thumb of fresh ginger (also grated)
A small bit of finely chopped cilantro
A Tbsp of sesame oil
Sea salt and pepper
It’s really good. I’m excited to try also fennel instead of carrots and add toasted leek and a sherry dressing!

I attended a workshop on fermentation of winter storage crops last weekend and I’m diving in with both feet. What a fantastic and simple way to preserve the root vegetables, cabbage and winter greens you might be tired of eating right about now. I’m already a convert to the health benefits of eating and drinking (Kombucha) fermented foods with all their healthy probiotics. I recommend reading about it more if you are new to the idea. Kimchi is of course the most famous fermented vegetable condiment and you can also just be making these for the taste.

-Sliced chucks of vegetables need to go in a brine, grated and finely shredded vegetables are massaged with sea salt and release their own juices to then make the liquid needed for fermentation.

– Brine = 1 tablespoon of sea salt to quart of water and 1 tablespoon of yogurt whey. Plus anything you want to add for flavor.

– IMPORTANT – Tap water used to make brine must be left out 24 hours so that the chlorine will off gas. Otherwise the chlorine will kill of the probiotics you wants to form.

-The liquid whey from your organic plain yogurt helps as an additive when making a brine to get the healthy bacteria going.

-1 Quart Jar = 2lb shredded veg = 1 Tablespoon sea salt

This is a somewhat low salt approach and even lower salt content can be used with the addition of a Tablespoon of the yogurt whey.

-Yogurt whey also helps with high sugar content vegetables like beets and carrots, that can tend to go to fast into alcoholic fermentation.

– Pack very tightly with fist into jar so that all air bubbles are pushed out – no oxygen is the key to growing the healthy bacteria only. Put the lid on jar somewhat loosely. Use a glass weight or a small glass jar to help keep vegetables pressed under the liquid, although not nessesary. I’ve just been checking my liquid level every couple of days.

-Put away in a corner where it’s 60-70 degrees, on a tray to catch liquid that will bubble out. Most vegetables are done in 7-10 days . Taste daily to see if it’s “done” for your tastes.

-Always make sure everything is submerged under liquid, mold will form on anything that is allowed to touch oxygen. That mold can just be scraped away and you can keep going.

– A tip for keeping chunks of vegetables crisp in this process is adding a grape or oak leaf.

There are not many things left I haven’t tried making into a slaw. This one dressed with a Sherry Vinaigrette. This combo would be great accompanying Thanksgiving leftovers. Even for the event itself for some fresh raw crunch. I could imagine adding some roasted chestnuts for a hardier dish.
2 Fennel bulbs
1 small organic cabbage
2 Asian Pears (round lite brown)
– Slice the fennel and cabbage on a mandolin or very finely with a knife.
– peal and grate the pears.
Mix up Sherry Vinaigrette in a separate bowl with a whisk until emulsified and then stir all together. Make as much dressing as you like, my amounts are in descending order.
– Sherry Vinegar
– Olive oil
– Honey
– Salt and Pepper
– Diced Shallot
– Diced fresh garlic